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Carl Benz - LEGO® Speed Champions Minifigure
An imaginary passion project inspired by a lifelong love for LEGO® and motorsport history.
Year
11.25
Scope
Graphic Design, Branding, Concept Development
Timeline
1 Weeks
As both a designer and longtime LEGO enthusiast, I set myself an imaginary challenge: to design a LEGO® minifigure for the Speed Champions universe - a character that could live naturally alongside the iconic cars and stories of Formula 1. Rather than creating another driver, I imagined a sub-series dedicated to the founders of legendary racing brands, celebrating the people behind the machines.
Quick Summary
Imaginary passion project designing a LEGO® Speed Champions minifigure of Carl Benz, founder of Mercedes-Benz. Created to blend historical authenticity with LEGO readability, targeting motorsport fans and collectors. Designed at true brick scale using Illustrator and LEGO guidelines, exploring period details, accessories, and colorways. The result is a playful, educational concept celebrating the origins of motorsport through LEGO storytelling.
Process
I chose Carl Friedrich Benz, founder of Mercedes-Benz, as the first figure in this concept. The idea was to blend historical authenticity with the playful clarity of LEGO design - creating a minifigure that felt educational, collectible, and instantly readable at brick scale.
The project followed a structured design approach similar to a real LEGO brief:
- Consumer focus: Designed specifically for the Speed Champions audience—motorsport fans, collectors, and children who love storytelling through play.
- Readability first: All graphics were tested at actual minifigure size to ensure details remained clear on small bricks.
- Vector craftsmanship: The final design was built entirely in Adobe Illustrator using LEGO template proportions and stroke guidelines.
I began with mind-mapping and concept exploration, considering different LEGO universes before narrowing the idea to F1 founders. Mood boards combined references from late Victorian fashion, early automotive engineering, and existing LEGO aesthetics. From there, I developed marker sketches, refined them digitally, and iterated on facial expressions, accessories, and torso graphics.
Design Concept
The final minifigure portrays Benz as an inventive 19th-century engineer:
- Pinstriped waistcoat with pocket watch and chain
- Period shirt, tie, and tailored trousers
- Signature moustache and hairstyle
- A small wrench as a playful nod to mechanical innovation
Colorways were explored in both classic LEGO yellow and more realistic skin tones, along with branded poster visuals imagining how the figure could be launched within an official collection.
Outcome
The result is a concept that balances heritage storytelling with LEGO charm - a figure that could introduce young builders to the origins of motorsport while feeling at home in a modern Speed Champions set. More than a visual exercise, the project was a love letter to the way LEGO turns history into play.
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